NCCM settles defamation claim against Ottawa-based academic

(Ottawa – November 21, 2013) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Muslim civil liberties & advocacy organization, today announced that it has settled a defamation claim against Janice Fiamengo, a professor at the University of Ottawa, regarding certain articles written by Ms. Fiamengo about the NCCM.

As part of the legal settlement, Ms. Fiamengo has issued a full public retraction and apology to the NCCM which states:

“I previously wrote two articles dated September 2nd and September 20th, 2013 respectively and published online at FreedomPress.ca which contained several factually incorrect and defamatory statements about the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), as follows:

1. Falsely stating that the NCCM is connected to and inspired by a foreign group called the Muslim Brotherhood.
2. Falsely stating and suggesting that the NCCM has beliefs in, allegiances to and is supportive of bigotry, extremism and terrorism.
3. Falsely stating and suggesting that the NCCM is an intolerant, anti-Semitic and fascist organization which supports the ideology of Nazism and the killing of Jewish people.

I retract the foregoing allegations without reservation, and I apologize to the NCCM and its board of directors, employees and volunteers for the harm caused by my statements.”

Commenting on the matter, NCCM Board Chairman Kashif A. Ahmed said:

“The NCCM is an independent and non-partisan grassroots Canadian organization which has consistently and categorically condemned racism, xenophobia, terrorism, and extremism. We are proud of our public record of effective advocacy for civic engagement and human rights and we stand by that record every day.”